Chapter 4 - The Signature That Should Not Exist
Detective Ruiz placed the forged transfer forms inside an evidence sleeve.
Gerald Pike’s name appeared at the bottom of every page.
Richard stared at them as though they were written in blood.
“Gerald handled my father’s estate.”
Mrs. Howard lowered herself into an armchair.
“He handled everything.”
Ruiz nodded.
“That may be exactly why someone needed him.”
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“You’re all ignoring the obvious.”
Elena looked at her.
“The obvious is that someone forged my signature while I was unconscious.”
“You could have signed earlier.”
Ruiz answered before Elena could.
“The authorization includes a time stamp.”
He pointed toward the page.
“2:14 p.m.”
Richard’s voice became quiet.
“She was already in surgery.”
Vanessa looked toward the door.
One of the officers casually moved in front of it.
Nobody mentioned the gesture.
Everybody understood it.
Elena’s phone vibrated.
She looked down.
A message from Detective Ruiz’s forensic analyst appeared.
BACKUP SERVER CONFIRMED.
Elena exhaled.
Months earlier, she had begun recording after discovering that three security cameras had mysteriously stopped working whenever Vanessa visited.
Instead of confronting anyone, Elena hired an independent technician.
He installed a second encrypted system hidden behind the original network.
Vanessa had eventually discovered the visible cameras.
She never found the hidden ones.
Ruiz looked toward the television mounted over the fireplace.
“Mrs. Howard, may we use that screen?”
She nodded weakly.
An officer connected a small device.
The television went black.
Then surveillance footage appeared.
The date was six nights earlier.
Vanessa was standing inside Richard’s study.
Gerald Pike stood beside her.
Nobody in the room breathed.
Gerald’s recorded voice filled the foyer.
“Once Richard believes Elena stole from the trust, the marriage is finished.”
Vanessa smiled on the recording.
“And his mother?”
“She will believe whatever protects the Howard name.”
Mrs. Howard closed her eyes.
Vanessa stepped forward.
“That video is fake.”
Ruiz did not respond.
The recording continued.
Gerald handed Vanessa a document.
“What about Elena’s pregnancy?”
Gerald asked.
Vanessa’s recorded expression changed.
“That problem has a deadline.”
Richard turned slowly toward the real Vanessa.
She looked terrified now.
On the screen, Gerald frowned.
“You told me you only wanted her out of the marriage.”
“I do.”
“That isn’t what you just said.”
Vanessa leaned closer to him.
“If the child is born, the trust changes.”
Elena felt Richard stiffen.
“What does she mean?”
Mrs. Howard looked confused.
Richard’s father had established an unusual inheritance clause.
If Richard had a biological child, a controlling portion of several family holdings would pass into a protected generational trust.
Richard would remain trustee.
But he could no longer sell those assets freely.
Elena had learned about the clause only after becoming pregnant.
Apparently Vanessa had learned about it too.
The video ended.
Richard looked physically ill.
“You wanted my child gone because of stock?”
Vanessa shook her head.
“No.”
Ruiz stepped closer.
“Then this would be a good time to start explaining.”
Vanessa stared at him.
For one moment, Elena thought she might confess.
Instead, Vanessa smiled.
It was not a nervous smile anymore.
It was cold.
“You think Gerald worked for me?”
Richard frowned.
Vanessa looked directly at Elena.
“You still don’t understand who started this.”
Ruiz’s expression sharpened.
Vanessa continued.
“I didn’t discover the trust clause.”
“Someone told me.”
Elena felt a chill move through her.
“Who?”
Vanessa glanced toward Mrs. Howard.
Then she said the name that changed the entire room.
“Richard’s brother.”
May you like
Richard stopped breathing.
His brother, Daniel Howard, had been dead for seven years.
